Electrical connectors – With vehicle structure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-05
2003-09-16
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With vehicle structure
C439S397000, C439S401000, C439S419000, C439S036000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06619963
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure for connecting electric wires of a lamp unit, and more particularly to improvements in the structure for connecting electric wires of a lamp unit which is installed in a lamp mounting window provided in an interior wall member covering a vehicle body panel.
In cases where a lamp unit such as a room lamp or a curtsey lamp is installed on an interior wall member such as a roof trim or a door trim covering a vehicle body panel, the lamp unit is generally installed in a lamp mounting window which is open in the interior wall member.
A room lamp
60
shown in
FIG. 9
is a lamp unit which is installed in the lamp mounting window (not shown) which is open in a roof trim covering an unillustrated body ceiling.
The room lamp
60
is mainly comprised of a lamp housing
61
, a light bulb
63
, and a cover lens
62
, and after the light bulb
63
is fitted in a lamp fitting portion of the lamp housing
61
, the cover lens
62
is fitted to the lamp housing
61
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, one end portion of a wire harness
67
is directly subjected to press fitting connection to press connecting terminals
66
of wire connecting terminals
69
, which are disposed in a wire-connecting recessed portion
65
of the lamp housing
61
, by means of a holding piece
68
. The light bulb
63
is electrically connected to the wire harness
67
which is routed on the body ceiling through the bus bars
69
serving as the wire connecting terminals provided inside the lamp housing
61
.
The lamp housing
61
is directly mounted to the body ceiling by means of bolts
64
by using mounting brackets
61
a
provided on an outer periphery of a bottom plate. As for the wire harness
67
which is integrated with the room lamp
60
, the other end portion extending in the downward direction of the vehicle body through a predetermined route is connected to another wire harness by a connector. Next, the roof trim (not shown) is installed and fixed to the body ceiling, thereby completing the assembly. At this time, as for the room lamp
60
, the outer surface (the lower surface in
FIG. 9
) of the cover lens
62
is exposed to the interior of the vehicle compartment through an opening in the roof trim.
With the above-described related room lamp
60
, when one end portion of the wire harness
67
is subjected to press connecting connection to the press connecting terminals
66
disposed in the lamp housing
61
, the wire harness
67
is likely to undergo positional offset relative to the press connecting terminals
66
. Hence, the press fitting connection action during the press fitting connection operation and the holding of the end portion of the wire harness
67
need to be performed very carefully.
In addition, in a case where wiring is provided for a plurality of lamp units such as the aforementioned room lamp
60
and a map lamp by the wire harness
67
and is integrated as a roof harness, if the connected position of the wire harness
67
which is secured to the wire connecting terminals of each lamp unit undergoes positional offset with respect to the wire connecting terminals along the longitudinal direction, there is a possibility that each lamp unit cannot be installed at a proper position of the body ceiling.
In a case where the room lamp
60
has switching parts capable of switching the operating state of the light bulb
63
fitted in the lamp housing
61
, there is a problem in that the number of component parts increases and a greater number of assembling steps is involved, leading to higher cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive lamp unit which makes it possible to easily and accurately position and secure the electric wires to the wire connecting terminals of the lamp unit, thereby overcoming the above-described problems.
In order to solve the aforesaid object, the invention is characterized by having the following arrangement.
(1) A structure for connecting an electric wire to a lamp unit installed on a lamp fitting window formed through an interior wall member covering a vehicle body panel, the lamp unit comprising:
a insulating housing having a vehicle compartment-side surface;
a wire accommodating recess, for positioning the electric wire installed on a vehicle body panel side of the interior wall member, provided on the vehicle compartment-side surface; and
a wire connecting terminal subjected to press fitting connection to the wire positioned in the wire accommodating recess.
(2) The structure according to claim 1, wherein the lamp unit includes:
a switch accommodating recess, for accommodating switch components, provided in the vehicle compartment-side surface in a vicinity of the wire accommodating recess; and
a switching circuit assembly which includes the wire connecting terminals and is provided with switch contacts capable of switching over an operating state of a bulb attached to the insulating housing by the switch components accommodated in the switch accommodating recess.
(3) The structure according to claim 1, wherein
the wire connecting terminal includes a press connecting terminal for connection to the wire, and a bulb contact for connection to a bulb.
(4) The structure according to claim 1, wherein
when the wire is accommodated in the wire accommodating recess and is electrically connected to the wire connecting terminal, the wire is held between the wire connecting terminal and the insulating housing.
(5) The structure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the wires are accommodated in the wire accommodating recess.
(6) The structure according to claim 5, wherein at least one guide groove is formed in the wire accommodating recess to define a plurality of grooves for respectively accommodating the plurality of the wire.
According to the above-described construction, since the wire accommodating recess is formed in the vehicle compartment-side surface of the insulating housing in the lamp unit, and the wires are routed in advance in the wire accommodating recess, the routing and holding of the wires with respect to the insulating housing and the positioning and holding of the wire connecting terminals at the time of press fitting connection are facilitated.
According to the above-described construction, the switch assembly is provided in the vicinity of the wire accommodating recess provided in the vehicle compartment-side surface of the insulating housing.
Accordingly, connecting portions of the wire connecting terminals subjected to press fitting connection to the wires routed in the wire accommodating recess and the switch components accommodated in the switch accommodating recess can be held and fixed by being covered with a single cover.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5823816 (1998-10-01), Uchida et al.
patent: 6086408 (2000-07-01), Tanigawa
patent: 6447301 (2002-09-01), Hayashi
Ta Tho D.
Yazaki -Corporation
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